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Venue change shuts some Minnesotans out of Obama speech

Democrats had to do a little scrambling this week when it appeared that severe weather threatened to put a damper on President Barack Obama’s Thursday night speech at the Democratic National Convention. So they moved the event from the outdoor Bank of America Stadium to the Time Warner basketball arena.

The convention estimates about 65,000 tickets were distributed for the outdoor stadium, and the indoor venue seats only about 20,000 – so lots of people won’t be going. That includes 120 Minnesotans, MPR says.

Some Republicans raised eyebrows, speculating that Democrats switched the venue because they were suddenly worried about filling the larger football stadium, the Associated Press noted.

Obama in an Internet broadcast on Thursday sought to console those who were shut out, Reuters reports.